Cuppa Overview
Cuppa - Free Your Social
Description
Cuppa is an innovative design to solve the task of socially connecting. Cuppa is the bridge between desktop and mobile phone, Cuppa is designed to be used in the home, but takes the user out of the boring offices that they currently use for messaging and socializing . Cuppa is a smart device, and will adapt to its location in the house, you go into the lounge and the tv will offer to extend your content. Cuppa continues to add the social by allowing unlimited social tagging of product and devices which can be read by Cuppa. You no longer need to give a file, you give need to give a Cuppa Rfid chip, which will access the data from the Microsoft live crowd super computer.
Passion
My passion is socializing, I love to go out and party. Social networking is now key to my social life and while I can do a little on my phone, the device is too small and too slow. Desktops are always in uncomfortable and unsocial areas. This is why I developed Cuppa to extend the traditional use. We don’t need a full OS, or complete functionally, I just want to socialize, now I have a device that can free me from system updates and file organization.
Users’ culture and lifestyle
My audience currently visit there favorite social networking site up to 20 times a day, with over have of the social community feeling lost if they haven’t connected. All my users want to do is to interact, engage, plan and look back. They aren’t interested in organizing, uploading and sorting out files, they want to interact with the artifact. To this demographic they don’t want waiting screens, they don’t want to have to search. Everything must be at their finger tips, explorable and social. This consumer group understand that social content is king, they understand that a busy online social live leads a buyer and more fulfilling social life. Although this group don’t want to be tired to dogma of ‘computing’, they just want to GTD (get things done).
Market Viability
The product creates a real connection with the user and there social circle. My demographic aren’t concerned with updating the software and just want a product that runs, the plus to Cuppa is that you don’t need your mates to have one, but your mates will be envious. The ability to turn your boring TV into a more easily interactive experience appeals greatly to my market group. Although it has been suggested that the X-Generation have mutated thumbs that can text faster, this just isn’t true. This is why the full keyboard, and high definition screen are so needed, my market group just don’t want to compromise.
Size
The Cuppa is 266mm wide X 111mm deep X 20mm thick
The Cuppa home server will be built into existing Windows Home servers.
The Cuppa Sensor will in the form of a sticker that could be hidden on any device. Some devices may require an extra connector to help stream that data from the Cuppa.
Overview of Design
The Cuppa is most innovative as it’s a complete mash up of what’s already existing. Its makes full use of extra monitors and TVs in your home to extend the products use. This mixed with the fact that all data is stored on the Windows Live service allows for data to be easily organized. The Cuppa home server technology is the part that allows for this system to run super fast. Lastly Cuppa is so innovative as it will get you out of your dark dingy office.
User and Context
The users will mainly use this in the context of social networking and relaxing, this will encompass connecting with friends, uploading photos and posting to Life Blogs.
Scenarios of Use
An example user would be planning to go clubbing on Friday night, they would get an update at work in their windows live messenger in the left of their Cuppa keyboard. They then go eat there dinner, while reviewing the top clubs in the town. The user has a leaflet from a club promoter which is embedded with a Cuppa Chip. This is read on the left hand side of the Cuppa which now in the living room, opens up the club information on the lounge TV. The user now goes home after a awesome night, they place there digi camera onto cuppas Cuppa Sensor, this triggers an upload from the Wifi SD card, straight into their live space. The user now is able to tag and sort the images, remembering with their mates about how great the day was.
User Interface.
The user interface extends current Windows operating system, and creates a new interface that is location aware. When you have Cuppa close a very limited striped interface will be shown in the right of the device. When the Cuppa’s screen is open this side screen will add auxiliary data to support the main screen. Then when Cuppa comes in contact with a larger screen Cuppa will then be able to further expand the interface. Think of Cuppa as a fractural of interfaces.
Aesthetics
The aesthetic is very simple and will try to blend will into the users house. The interaction and flow between monitors will be well animated to give an almost breathing sense to the Cuppa. A deeper emotional connection will be made with the device for the freedom and connections that it will enable.
Technical Aspects
Cuppa takes full advantage of home and web based servers, cuppa is a remote terminal that allows access to your clouds of data. This abstraction from content and Operating system, means that the user can now be concerned with getting things down. This will enhance the overall PC experience as the user now is only concerned with connecting, and NOT virus scanning!
Ecology
By putting the data into external data houses, these can be located in areas of renewable energy while only the right resources can be utilized. The ability to be context aware will allow for automated switching on and off of devices, as the user walks out of the living room the Cuppa will turn all devices to hibernate, and stop the power sucking wall warts.
Manufacturability
My design is a simple two part mold, little thermal cooling is needed as there is very little processing being completed inside. The keyboard has large gaps which will allow the components, and you lap to breath. By using Solid state hardware the device will make no noise, and the monitor will use a OLED which will reduce the dreaded TFT frequencybuzz.
